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When you realize that there are weaknesses in computing at the
processor level, you have to wonder what the point of using a secure
operating system even is anymore.

This is not as bad as painted by alarmists.
Most private systems are not at risk.
MS has a tool to check your Intel processors.
Below here are the URLs for the real story and
for the tools to check your system.

*** Risk Assessment ***
Based on the analysis performed by this tool: This system is not vulnerable.

For more information refer to the SA-00086 Detection Tool Guide or the
Intel security advisory Intel-SA-00086 at the following link:
https://security-center.intel.com/advisory.aspx?intelid=INTEL-SA-00086&languageid=en-fr

When you realize that there are weaknesses in computing at the
processor level, you have to wonder what the point of using a secure
operating system even is anymore.

This is not as bad as painted by alarmists.
Most private systems are not at risk.
MS has a tool to check your Intel processors.
Below here are the URLs for the real story and
for the tools to check your system.

And if it says your system is vulnerable, what do you do?
Some of the systems may be from manufacturers who are out of business.

*** Risk Assessment ***
Based on the analysis performed by this tool: This system is not vulnerable.

For more information refer to the SA-00086 Detection Tool Guide or the
Intel security advisory Intel-SA-00086 at the following link:
https://security-center.intel.com/advisory.aspx?intelid=INTEL-SA-00086&languageid=en-fr

When you realize that there are weaknesses in computing at the
processor level, you have to wonder what the point of using a secure
operating system even is anymore.

This is not as bad as painted by alarmists.
Most private systems are not at risk.
MS has a tool to check your Intel processors.
Below here are the URLs for the real story and
for the tools to check your system.

And if it says your system is vulnerable, what do you do?
Some of the systems may be from manufacturers who are out of business.

*** Risk Assessment ***
Based on the analysis performed by this tool: This system is not vulnerable.

For more information refer to the SA-00086 Detection Tool Guide or the
Intel security advisory Intel-SA-00086 at the following link:
https://security-center.intel.com/advisory.aspx?intelid=INTEL-SA-00086&languageid=en-fr

==================================
bliss

Here is some material from a very well informed member of
my LUG, Rick Moen with great knowledge of Linux and connected to
enough sources to come up with this in less than 24 hours.

There's a lot of bad information on this matter.

My understanding from fairly wide reading is that the referenced Intel
Management Engine (ME) firmware is a big problem _if_ it is running
AMT = Active Management Technology code. But by _no_ means do all Intel
chipsets possessing ME firmware also have AMT code that runs on it --
and how to query your machine to find out if it does. Most Intel
systems don't have AMT. Most Intel systems with AMT don't have it
turned on. It's just a minority of the 'vPRO'-type Intel CPUs that do.

Recently, a firm called Positive Technologies stumbled upon
http://blog.ptsecurity.com/2017/08/disabling-intel-me.html a way of
disabling ME version 11 immediately after boot, by poking it and setting
a bit that in the RAM copy of ME called reserve_hap, with
the effect of making ME-mediated processes shut down. Intel have
confirmed that this truly _does_ disable ME completely during subsequent
run time. Note that totally disabling ME so it never functions at all is
not an option, because CPUs that include it rely on ME functionality to
initialize power management, the CPU proper, and other hardware.

Unlike some paranoiacs, I believe Intel when they say this (that the
Positive Technologies hack fully disables ME firmware code, post-boot.)
The story of why ME firmware is present in all new Intel x86_64 CPUs, as
is the story of why parallel effort AMD Platform Security Processor
(PSP) is present in all that company's new x86_64 CPUs, is credible.
They're not out to 'get' anyone. It's a (regrettable) technology
intended to facilitate OOB (out of band) system management by firms
running large numbers of computers. The rationale makes perfect sense,
even if the unintended side-effects are woeful. (Technically, the real
issue is a software build called Active Management Technology = that
runs atop the ME. Without AMT, the ME firmware code would be doing
nothing.)

The researchers speculate, by the way, that 'reserve_hap' is a hidden
switch included at the behest of equipment manufacturers intending to
sell equipment through the US government's NSA-administered High
Assurance Platform program, so the manufacturers could answer any
objection of 'What if the ME gets compromised or produces a side-channel
data leak?' by saying 'Don't worry about that. The ME can be instructed
to shut down immediately after boot.'

So you maybe worried about where you sourced your machine
if it was from a company that used the AMD PSP but that is where
I got mine, a big company that tossed the usable Dell E6420s into
a bin. I have no problems you may not either especially running
Linux.

When you realize that there are weaknesses in computing at the
processor level, you have to wonder what the point of using a secure
operating system even is anymore.

This is not as bad as painted by alarmists.
Most private systems are not at risk.
MS has a tool to check your Intel processors.
Below here are the URLs for the real story and
for the tools to check your system.

*** Risk Assessment ***
Based on the analysis performed by this tool: This system is not vulnerable.

For more information refer to the SA-00086 Detection Tool Guide or the
Intel security advisory Intel-SA-00086 at the following link:
https://security-center.intel.com/advisory.aspx?intelid=INTEL-SA-00086&languageid=en-fr

==================================
bliss

Dell has a list of it's computers that are at risk an it is quite long.

When you realize that there are weaknesses in computing at the
processor level, you have to wonder what the point of using a secure
operating system even is anymore.

This is not as bad as painted by alarmists.
Most private systems are not at risk.
MS has a tool to check your Intel processors.
Below here are the URLs for the real story and
for the tools to check your system.

*** Risk Assessment ***
Based on the analysis performed by this tool: This system is not vulnerable.

For more information refer to the SA-00086 Detection Tool Guide or the
Intel security advisory Intel-SA-00086 at the following link:
https://security-center.intel.com/advisory.aspx?intelid=INTEL-SA-00086&languageid=en-fr

Risk Assessment
Based on the analysis performed by this tool: Detection Error:
This system may be vulnerable.

For more information refer to the SA-00086 Detection Tool Guide
or the Intel security advisory Intel-SA-00086 at the following
link: https://security-
center.intel.com/advisory.aspx?intelid=INTEL-SA-
00086&languageid=en-fr